_ A plastic bag weighing less than an ounce can carry up to 44 pounds.

_ Some of the ways plastic bags can be reused, as suggested by the plastic-bag industry: Carrying lunch, storing things, lining trash cans, cleaning up after pets, protecting valuables from rain and snow, keeping water and gas lines from freezing in winter, keeping clothing dry on boat trips, using as makeshift umbrellas, using again to carry groceries home from the store.

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Sources: The trade group Society of the Plastic Industry and the city of Los Angeles.

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